1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage device or container. More particularly, the present invention relates to a waste storage device having a lid with a cutter movably fastened therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Storage devices such as for disposal of waste, baby diapers or other personal waste material, are known. Such waste storage devices have a main body and a lid. The main body has a waste aperture inlet arranged to receive a storage bag. The lid has a movable storage bag severing means or cutter and a formation that holds the storage bag against movement during operation of the severing means.
A cutter that is movably fastened to the lid of a waste storage device, such that the lid does not require opening to perform the cutting of the storage film, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,890. The cutter disclosed has a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism has a tab that flexibly extends from the lid. The tab has a tongue projecting from its upper end that is radially biased inward towards engagement with the periphery of a cutting ring. The cutting ring has indents around its periphery arranged to engage the tongue to prevent rotation of the cutting ring. When manual pressure is applied to the tab, the tongue disengages the indents and the cutting ring is free to rotate until engaging the next indent.
This locking mechanism requires engagement of a tongue and indents to lock the cutting ring. This arrangement is prone to slippage. The disclosed cutting ring rotates about a vertical axis along the center of the waste storage device, but does not move in a vertical direction. Thus, the cutting ring is positioned in close proximity to the film so that it can cut the film when the lid is in a closed position. This structure may create a problem with inadvertent cutting of the film due to contact of the blade with the film, and may create a problem with snagging of the film by the cutter ring each time the lid is placed in a closed position. Also, the disclosed cutting ring has one blade. Therefore, it requires a 360° rotation of said cutting ring to achieve a single pass of the blade along the film. This may result in failure to fully cut the film.